1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the recording of data to optical media, and more particularly to a method for determining the target layout and which files to cache during the pre-mastering stage of optical media recording.
2. Description of the Related Art
When recording data to optical media, a user typically selects a plurality of files from a source or plurality of sources, identifies a target or destination optical media, and executes a recording function. The selected files can be of any type including audio files, video files, photographic files, data files, and the like. The recording function is typically executed by use of an optical media recording program which accomplishes such tasks as mapping out precise locations of source files, determining size of source files, mapping out a precise target destination for the selected files, calculating a theoretical transfer rate for reading the file from a source and recording the file to a destination, identifying those files that will be cached and those files that will be recorded directly from source to destination, performing necessary formatting as required, and burning the selected files to a destination optical media. Data can be recorded in one or more sessions to a single optical media.
During the pre-mastering stage in preparation for recording data files to optical media, selected files are typically sorted a plurality of times to achieve an optimum recording order that avoids buffer under-run, and that minimizes recording time when the actual burn operation is accomplished. The plurality of file sorts is usually intended to maximize efficient use of available resources by establishing a writing order that matches system resources and specifications such as transfer rate, buffer size, read speed for source location, target optical media device write speed, available system cache, and the like.
While the plurality of file sorts remains a viable and efficient use of system resources for a user wishing to record a relatively small or limited number of data files to optical media, as the number of files selected for recording increases, the system processing time required to accomplish the plurality of sorts for an increasing number of files, as well as for an increasing number of file sorts as a result of the increasing number of files, increases significantly. A large number of files, e.g., 20,000–50,000 files, depending on size, can take up to four minutes of processing time, plus an additional approximately five minutes to perform a system test used to calculate an average file transfer rate. For users recording large numbers of data files, it is desirable that the processing time prior to recording be minimized, as should the recording time to record the selected files.
As is known, when files are recorded to optical media, the files are read from a source location, from a plurality of source locations, or a system cache into a buffer of a recording device. A file system for the destination optical media is created, and the files are then written to the destination or target optical media from the optical media recording device buffer, along with required file system and other data structures in order to comply with accepted data formats and specifications. In typical prior art programs, the filling and depletion of the buffer, file size, optical media device read and write speeds, and other factors were all considered during the plurality of file sorts to maximize efficient utilization of system resources and avoid buffer under-run. Typical optical media recording devices now have sufficient buffer under-run protection resident in the recording device to make much of the plurality of file sorts unnecessary.
In view of the foregoing, what is needed is a method of recording data to optical media that avoids excessive consumption of system processing time, and maximizes efficient use of available recording resources while avoiding the problems of the prior art.